Beams of light splash in their faces like a tidal wave, as they descend deeper into the mystical portal. One seemed to be screaming laughing as they fell, whilst the other, was in complete panic, trying to turn themselves to break their inevitable fall. The lights became more consistent and clearer, as the sky formed around them. They were falling. Down below were huge patches of green and brown, zooming in closer hastily. The brothers braced for impact.
They both slam against the tree trunks, grunting as they descend down chaotically, hitting and clonking tree branches from different angles. As they fell, they managed to chip away a few thin branches and leaves, creating a mess from behind. They finally slam into a thick tree branch, and they slide off from it, and smashing into the dirt path below, soil patches splashing around upon impact. A collection of tree branches clatter alongside them, along with leaves gracefully descending down on top of their heads. They both lie there, moaning from the pain, the series of a million sharp punches from tree branches have worn them out.
Tom sluggishly stands on his two feet, stars dancing around like a musical inside his head, as he tries to adjust his vision to the forest. Jack does the same, though it looked like he didn't want to get up, so he just sat there, taking in the events of what just happened.
"A pit of spikes would have been better..." groans Tom, wiping the leaves off of him.
"Or a cushion." mumbles Jack, cracking his back. "Where are we?" They pace the area, stumbling and tripping as they feel the trees, looking up at the sight of the sky, ruined by the branches that hung above them
"I think... I think this is..." Tom mumbles, grabbing the map out from his pocket, as he spreads it out widely, to the point where it touches the ground. He drags his finger across the map, before slowly letting it go, deep realisations kicking in. "I don't know."
Jack grabs his face in panic, stretching it about as he flees around the woods, screaming and exclaiming, flailing his arms around. "WE'RE LOST!" he shouts, "WE'RE GONNA DIE, WE'RE GONNA DIE!" He collapses to the floor, punching at the ground, before sighing. He sounded defeated. Getting up from his dismay, he dusts himself off and shoots a finger at Tom. "This is all your fault!"
"What? Waaait, no, no, hang on." says Tom, stepping back.
"Yeah!" shouts Jack, "I told you and told you and told you to not wander off and find a basement to find a talking book where it tells you a clue to a mysterious second basement full of books where we get thrown into another world, and what did you do?" Tom shrugs.
"I'll tell you what you did." begins Jack, taking a deep breath, "WANDER OFF AND FIND A BASEMENT TO FIND A TALKING BOOK WHERE IT TELLS YOU A CLUE TO A MYSTERIOUS SECOND BASE-" Tom cuts him off, slapping his mouth.
"Shush." he says, "Look at that." He points to an opening between two trees, where the light calls to them. It looked like it already led to the outside, of the woods. He slowly approaches it, pushing the branches and bushes off to the side, as Jack exclaims and stutters behind him.
"Where are you going!?" he shouts, waving his hands up and down. Tom treads closer to the morning light, as the sun sizzled on his skin. His eyes hurt a bit from the sun at first, but he quickly gained sight again, and was met with quite possibly one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. Onfield was already beautiful enough but this was truly something.
He stood tall near a cliff, which allowed him to gaze upon the stretch of open field, and a wide wave of sunflowers dancing in some patches. Mountains sat in the horizon at a grand scale, with snow snuggling on their heads and the birds chirped majestically, singing their gift of song to nature. He breathes in, taking in the moment before him, watching the waves of grass near the edge of the cliff. Before he could take another breath, Jack comes following and does the same, only a little more dramatically.
"WHAAAT!?" he shouts, jumping back at the grand scale of the mountains, before fainting again to the floor.
"Jack!" Tom shouts, shaking him about, and slapping him in the process. Jack jolts away, flashing lights and colours engulfing his vision. He felt lightheaded. "Don't die on me yet bro. Dying from simply breathing is extremely embarrassing." He stands Jack up, and puts an arm around him, waving his hand around at the majestic sight before them.
"Now this, is screaming to be explored," he says, "Come on!" He grabs Jacks hand, dragging him along, as he whimpers from behind.
"Waaait!" he says, yanking his hand away. "Can we just... stop and breathe for just a second? Alright, we just fell from what felt like a thirty story building, I don't know how we survived, we don't know where in the gobblty goop we are and now you're just gonna run in there? What if there's monsters?"
"Pfft, monsters," says Tom, "You really are a nerd."
"I'm serious!" exclaims Jack, stomping his foot. His pocket rumbles, as he could feel squirming and muffling. "Ugh... what does gay genie want now?" he grumbles, pulling him out and opening him up. Goijini sparks to life, spinning around in a fit of glory, as confetti explodes and flails all around. The brothers jump.
"ADVENTURERS!" Goijini exclaims, "WELCOME TO MONOGARD!"
"Stop..." mumbles Jack, "ears hurt..."
"Now first of all, I haven't done this adventuring with stupid nowadays kids in sooo long, so I'm just SUPER excited that I get to join along in this crazy adventure of yours!" he says, circling around them, "As you can see, your quest begins in the grizzly 'Crikity Woods' where Poachers could come from any angle. Now you must be weary tha-"
"What?" Jack cuts him off, "What you mean 'Poachers'?
"Ohhh y'know...," begins Goijini, "Goblin-like creatures that will tear you apart if you're not careful." Jack's breath gets taken away from him for a moment.
"I'd rather be in school right now," mumbles Jack, "This is terrible..."
"You gonna point us in the right direction Guijini?" asks Tom, still trying to find where they were on the map.
"Now why would I do that?," says Goijini, smirking at them, "That wouldn't be fun at all! You're adventurers now! It's time you start figuring things out for yourselves!"
"You're literally putting children at risk," says Jack, "If we die, the blood will be on your hands."
"Where's your adventurous spirit, my boy?" says Goijini, as they began to spin around, before closing themselves over, plopping to the floor.
"Hey. Hey!" Jack shouts, picking the book up and shaking it vigorously, "We're not done here! Wake up!"
"Hey! I found where we are! Look!" Says Tom, pointing his finger down below at a scruff of woodland. From here all the way up to the Champton Ruins, they were miles away. It also seemed like there were a lot of mountains in their area, and they could just about point what looked like a tiny town near the woods. Tom folds back up the map, as Jack begins to tread slowly into the deep woods within.
"Finally putting on your man diapers?" chuckles Tom, siding along with him.
"How else are we supposed to get outta here raspberry?" says Jack, giving him a light, offended punch.
They finally crept through what this woodland was really all about. Trees, thin and thick, rose high above them, curtaining them with their branches and leaves, so that only patches of light broke through. Some rocky terrain scattered the soil too, as ancient mossy stone stuck out from the ground, where you could easily trip up. It felt like no one didn't come here that often, because the path they followed only faded out into tall patches of grass. Having no other options, they chance it and trudge off road, climbing over a fallen tree branch.
The terrain was much more uneven and steep, a sharp dip ahead greeting them. Jack tries to shuffle down it carefully, before the slippery soil catches him as he tumbles down, slapping into the dirt. Tom laughs from above.
"You are having the worst luck today!" laughs Tom, sliding down towards him, "Life is treating you like dirt!" Jack wobbles up, dusting himself off, as he shoots a frown at Tom. A second passes, before Tom's face gets shot with dirt as revenge.
The brothers continue to mock each other, travelling through the thick of the grass, until they stumble upon a mini cliff of dirt you had to really jump to get to. It seemed easy enough, at least for Jack.
"We could just go around?" says Tom, rolling his eyes, "Look for a better way over." Jack had already began to jump up and aim for the ledge, grabbing deep into it. His feet slip from the dirt, but manages to pull himself upwards, panting as he stands up to stretch again.
"I swear I wasn't built for this kind of work..." mumbles Jack, as he kneels down over the ledge, reaching a hand out to Tom.
"Alright, whateve's man." says Tom, grabbing his brothers hand, as he gets hoisted up. Jack struggles, grunting and groaning as he leaned backwards for better progress. Tom hangs on as he reaches at Jacks level, and reaches up to pat him on the head.
"Thank you, bro." he smiles, winking, before marching off. Jack rolls his eyes, walking along with him, continuing to dust off this shirt.
"What time period is this set in anyway?" asks Jack, "Because there better be hot showers here."
"It looks like a fantasy setting so... I dunno, I guess before video games were created." mumbles Tom.
"Obviously," says Jack, "But when exactly?"
"I'm not a wizard Jack." says Tom.
"Yeah you're right. You're an idiot." says Jack.
Before Tom could make a comeback, a rustling could be heard from behind them. Jacks instincts kick in, as he turns hastily around, having his hands block is face.
"Who's there!?" he exclaims.
"What?" says Tom, "It's a bush."
"Did you hear that?" mumbles Jack. He was on edge, gripping at his arms, tightly to the point of leaving red marks on them. His heart was already racing at even a crumb of noise. He backs up into Tom, nearly startling himself as his eyes dart at all the possible bushes he could see.
"Jack, I think we get it by now," says Tom, "This isn't a dream. It's real life. Sort of..."
"It's not that..." mumbles Jack, even quieter this time.
The rustling continued, as they could now hear cackling and laughter faintly from the trees, followed up by a few coughs. The snapping of tree branches were more clearer now, like a flock of crows making flight out of a forest. The snapping grew louder and louder, before a shadow revealed itself from above. A figure drops down, landing on the dirt ground in front of the brothers a few feet away. They stood still, holding on tight to each other shaking as the figure tilts its head up slowly to reveal itself.
It was a Poacher. A goblin of some sorts, green textured skin with a few hairs showing. A long pointed nose and a frown that looked like they were having a bad day. Clothes consisted of a tunic, wrapped around in straps of brown leather, golden belt, and big brown boots, churning the soil. The Poacher grinned at them, revealing the series of teeth they hid underneath, crooked and uneven.
"Heeey..." begins Tom, waving hesitantly, "You look like you could potentially... help us eh? Heheh... Cause... cause y'know you're... you're green n' all..."
"Tom...!" whisper shouts Jack, "That's racist...! You're gonna make him more angry...!"
"Well excuse me...!" whisper shouts Tom, "You just assumed their gender...! That's sexist...!"
The goblin looked at them with deep confusion. The brothers have a go at each other before looking back at the goblin again, forcing friendly traveller smiles.
"Can you help us?" Tom asks, gritting his teeth. The goblin looked some more, before taking out their blow horn and exhaling into with all their might as it boomed throughout the woods. The branches shook, and the ground vibrated below them, as the brothers yelp and shriek. A selection of Poachers reveal themselves from the bushes and trees, laughing manically and pointing. They began to reach out for their weapons, waving around their swords made of wood, and their bows and arrows. The brothers gulp, shook and stood still as the Poacher in front took out a bow of their own, cackling to themselves. They struggle to reach for their arrow however, making a scene and embarrassment for the other Poachers.
"... if we help you, will you go away...?" mumbles Jack, stepping back. The Poacher scrambles at their back, pulling out an arrow finally, and getting ready to shoot. The brothers in a fit of panic, scream their heads off, and retreat away, pushing bushes out of the way, tripping over each other. An arrow comes zooming near them, chipping against a tree truck.
"Why do these guys wanna kill us!?" exclaims Tom.
"I don't know, just RUN!" exclaims Jack, ducking his head as much as he can. The run was on.
A series of arrows struck further into the trees, each hit more closer than the last. They both back up into a thick tree trunk, paralysed by panic, hearing the unsettling laughter of the Poachers up above. Jack caught a glimpse of a bow and arrow, shooting directly for Tom's face. Jack shouts for his safety, as he tackles Tom to the ground, before the arrow could hit him.
"Watch out bro!" he exclaims, hoisting him up.
"We gotta get a weapon!" says Tom, "Let's fight these snots!"
"No!" shouts Jack, "We can't risk it!" They continue through the thick grass, jumping over rocks, and climbing over fallen logs, hoping to avoid being spotted. The Poachers were quite experienced with their hunting however, as they leap from branch to branch like Tarzan. They knew exactly where the brothers were. As steep mudslide greets them and they had no other options but to chance the climb.
"There better be showers I SWEAR to God!" exclaims Jack, joining Tom in the climb to the top. They flinch every so often at the snapping of branches from behind them, as they felt vulnerable having their backs turned. It was life of death at this point, digging their nails hard into the dirt, panting and desperate for the last laugh at the end of all of this. Tom was surprisingly, quite the climber, as he hoists himself over to the top of the mudslide where he could catch a few breaths.
"Tom!" shouts Jack, reaching a hand out to him, "Pull me up!" Tom rubs his hands together, getting a firm grip of his brothers hand, and begins to heave away, sweat dripping from the sides of his face. His face grew increasingly more pink, trying to hoist his older up to him, but strength was still a problem here.
"Come on come on you got it!" shouts Jack, panicking a little as he spots a few Poachers from behind, tucked away in the trees as they fire away at the brothers. Arrows came chipping down at them, landing dangerously close to Jack as he yelps.
"Why does your favourite food have to be cheeseburgers!?" exclaims Tom, struggling to pull any further. An arrow shoots dangerously close to Toms hair, chipping the tree from behind.
"Tom, I'm gonna get SHOT!" exclaims Jack, louder this time, feet slipping from the mud. There was pain in Toms eyes, as his grip loosens, too weak to carry his own brother up with him. Jack grunts, grabbing Toms hand with both hands, and steadily hurries up to the ledge, letting the mud trail behind him. Poachers began to climb up after them, clawing the mud with their pointed weapons, angrily blabbering at them. Jack gets up on his own, and the brothers don't look back, sprinting off and out of sight from the situation.
The voices continue to bellow around them, pinching at the brothers souls, horrified at the possibilities of getting caught in their horrid grasp. They jump down from a ledge, nearly losing a grip of their balance, when a Poacher catches them in their sights, landing directly in front of them. The boys yelp, stepping back from the green freak as it coughed and cackled, drawing their wooden weapon. Tom let his brain think quick, and reaches down to snatch up a thick stick from the ground, with a leaf still attached to it. He holds it with two hands, waving it about like a baseball bat, as Jack watches concerningly.
"Tom you can't just do that!" shouts Jack, "That thing has a sword!"
"Sometimes ya gotta fight fire with fire." says Tom, as he charges towards the Poacher, waving the stick around to look intimidating. This however only made him look extremely stupid and dumb. He swings the stick down hard into the Poacher, who blocks it with their wooden sword, causing the stick to snap on impact. Tom chuckles nervously, before the Poacher makes haste, letting their sword swing around, and rip a bit of cotton off of Toms shirt.
"Nuts!" he exclaims, desperate to get away as Jack facepalms.
"For someone who plays RPG games, you're pretty stupid at this!" exclaims Jack, running for it, alongside him.
"We just started Jack!" says Tom, jumping over a rock, "We're a level one in this at least!" The Poachers grew more determined to catch these brothers, hacking away at the bushes with a vicious swing, and coughing in their faces. The ground had given in to the inconsistency of the terrain, as mud began to pile up on their shoes, causing them to slip and slide sporadically. It became more difficult to slow down, as the terrain began to descend into a steep slope, making it impossible for the brothers to stop now. They let their legs stop making haste and instead lets the mud take them away, trying to balance and not fall in the process.
"Tom! Duck!" Jack points out, as a tree branch heads for Tom. He reacts quickly enough, to dodge under it, as a Poacher tries to catch up to them.
"Jack! You too!" Tom points out as well, signalling for Jack to duck. He does so, the tree branch waving about a little bit due to the touch of Jacks hair, barely.
"Jack! DUCK!" Tom exclaims again, this time pointing at a duck, quaking as they slide majestically on by.
"Thanks for the warning." says Jack, before being jumped by a few Poachers from high above the trees, shooting down on them. The arrows stab the mud before them, intimidating them to inch further towards their doom. A pit could be seen near the end of the slide, which was as deep as a sandpit, but the mud did not look pleasant to dive into. The brothers scream and try!to slow their speed down, kicking the mud away in front of them, but to no avail.
"We have no choice!" shouts Tom, "We have to jump!"
"From here!?" exclaims Jack, "No way!"
"Got any better ideas green bean!?" shouts Tom, getting ready to bounce. They both line up their jump carefully as they slide hastily closer the ledge. As they inch towards the lip, they both scream as they leap from the mudslide across over to the safety, hitting the ground and rolling over to their side, mud splattering all about. A few Poachers began to lose their momentum in the mud, whom which they topple over into the mud, gargling angrily. The boys didn't want to celebrate yet. Not now. They focus purely on just getting out of here.
The presence of the Poachers die down subtly, the cackling turning more into murmuring and whispering. Thunder could be heard rumbling above in the skies above, as the land became showered with light hale. The brothers slowly come to a stop as they step on out from the Crickity Woods, panting and breathing from the exercise. The sun was no longer shining down on them, but instead the rain drops that manage to clean some of the mud off. Now it was just a damp field they stumbled across, bare, and deserted with sunflowers and trampled wheat.
"You okay...?" asks Jack, giving concern for his younger brother.
"I'm fine," mumbles Tom, "Could be better but... I- I'm fine." He stretches and lets the hale moisturise his face. Jack checks Goijini to see if they were available, but they didn't want to open up just yet. After a second of struggling, Jack gives up, sliding them back into his back pocket. Tom consults the map again, straightening it up as they walked.
"Well...," he begins, "That was Crickity Woods."
"Good," mumbles Jack, "We're not going back there ever again. And just what the hell even was that anyway? What did we ever do to those things?"
"Anything that's green and alive is always bad news," says Tom, "except frogs. Frogs are cool."
"Agreed." mumbles Jack, holding himself. He was shivering from the cold. "So where are we on the map?"
"Out of the woods," begins Tom, "And there should be what looks like... a town nearby? There's a house symbol so... it's gotta be there."
"Finally... maybe people who don't want to kill us," says Jack, "and will allow us to use their showers."
"Maybe not showers," says Tom, "More like. Damp puddles in the ground they heat up."
"Anything to stay clean." adds Jack, sneezing.
"We're in a world full of monsters," says Tom, looking at him, "Staying clean won't last long."
"Could say the same about you back at home," says Jack, "When was the last time you showered?"
"Mmh... three...?" mumbles Tom, counting his fingers.
"Bleh." Jack pretends to vomit to prove his point. They both chuckle, despite the banter. Tom couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty however, exchanging a look at Jack.
"I'm... I'm sorry that... I wasn't strong enough," says Tom, rubbing his arm, "Y'know. Back at the mud ledge."
Jack looks back at him, smiling a bit, before wrapping an arm around him. "It's cool," he says, "You tried at least. I could feel it. That's all that matters."
Tom chuckles, pushing Jack away playfully, as the thunder claps in the distance, sending them into a shiver. Who knew what else was out there? Besides, this was only level one.